UN greets Bangladesh on International Mother Language Day
The United Nations in Bangladesh has wished the people of the country marking International Mother Language Day on 21 February.
Gwyn Lewis, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, wished Bangladesh on the occasion in a video published on 21 February on the United Nations in Bangladesh official Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts, says a press release.
“Today we mark International Mother Language Day, a true celebration of our linguistic and cultural diversity. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day came from Bangladesh and it was the result of the country’s fight for recognition of Bangla. Everyone has their own language and we should not forget to celebrate this legacy,” Gwyn Lewis said in the video.
“In addition to Bangla, there are 40 languages in Bangladesh including 36 indigenous languages. On behalf of the United Nations in Bangladesh, representing the diverse cultures and languages within the country and rest of the world, we wish the people of Bangladesh a very happy International Mother Languague Day,” she added.
The staff of the UN in Bangladesh, representing various foreign and indigenous languages of different states and parts of the country including French, Japanese, Sinhala, Swedish, Garo, Yoruba Nigeria, Norwegian, Chinese, Tajik, Spanish, Benin Tchabe, Bhutanese, Malayalam, Amharic, Italian, Russian Chakma, English and Bangla greeted the people marking the day.
Celebrating the day, the UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) officer-in-charge Susan Vize wrote an op-ed on the importance of International Mother Language Day and its legacy.
“Embracing and protecting our linguistic diversity must be reinforced by not allowing anyone to use language as a tool to provoke conflicts and any forms of discrimination. It is important to respect all languages: big and small, widely and less spoken, indigenous and foreign. The diversity of languages is vital in intercultural dialogue to build inclusive societies”
“On behalf of the staff of the UN in Bangladesh, representing foreign and indigenous languages of different states and parts of the country from Teknaf to Panchagarh we wish the people of Bangladesh a happy International Mother Language Day. The day the country courageously fought for, and the legacy of which should not be forgotten," Gwyn Lewis and Susan Vize said in the op-ed.